November 19, 2020 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
How did this happen? A Catholic Spirit Special Report on the Vatican’s “McCarrick Report,” which explores how the former cardinal could rise through Church ranks without serious investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct, grooming and abuse. — Pages 9-11
thecatholicspirit.com
‘Going in where few will tread’
Election results As ballot recounts continue, media networks call presidential election for Democrat Joe Biden, a Catholic. Pro-life leaders express concerns about his abortion stance. — Page 7
Hope in action Catholic Charities marks 150 years of serving people in the Twin Cities, celebrating its many ministries and continuing expansion. — Pages 12-13
‘On Eagle’s Wings’ Father Michael Joncas “honored and humbled” to hear reference to his popular hymn by Joe Biden in victory speech. — Page 14
Serving Black Catholics
As COVID cases increase, so does need for Anointing Corps ministry DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
St. Peter Claver in St. Paul has long been a faith home for African American Catholics while also welcoming parishioner diversity. — Page 15
Unofficially 100 Catholic Irishman with rural roots celebrates reaching the century mark — 10 years early. — Page 17
Father Andrew Jaspers stands outside the room of a COVID-19 patient at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis Nov. 9. He anointed the patient as part of his ministry in the Anointing Corps for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
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f all the items Father Paul Hedman expected to need as a priest, “COVID shoes” wasn’t on the list. But now the associate pastor of St. Peter in Forest Lake, who was ordained in May, keeps wornout dress shoes in a bag in the trunk of his car, ready for a quick change if he’s called to administer the sacrament of anointing of the sick to someone gravely ill with COVID-19. Those shoes are part of the personal protective equipment Father Hedman is responsible for as a member of the Anointing Corps in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Inspired by a similar group in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Bishop Andrew Cozzens in April organized the team of more than a dozen priests trained in the necessary safety precautions to offer the final sacrament to those dying in the pandemic. In the months since, they’ve anointed more than 500 people with COVID-19. Most of the patients were near death. After a lull in calls this summer, with several days passing between requests, the team is now responding to multiple calls per day, as the number of COVID-19 cases sharply rises. Father Matt Shireman, 34, admits he was a little afraid for his own health when he joined the corps in its early days. His decision also worried some friends and family, he noted, but he
felt it was the right thing to do. He is young, healthy and, as a parochial vicar at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings, without the heftier responsibilities of a pastor. As he became accustomed to the precautions, his fear of contracting the virus has diminished, and he’s seen the beauty in providing the sacrament for people often dying in isolation. He’s done about 40 COVID-19 anointings, he said. “I would want to receive those last rites close to my death, so to be able to offer it to those who are especially facing this very difficult illness … it seemed like something that I could say yes to,” he said. Medical professionals train priests in the corps — whose membership and size has fluctuated over the months as priests have joined and left, due to other responsibilities. They learn to properly don and doff N95 masks, goggles, gowns and gloves, and prepare the elements of the sacrament, including the Oil of the Sick, that they bring with them into the patient’s room. Most of the anointings have taken place in hospitals, nursing homes or assisted living facilities, with very few in private homes. When priests first volunteered for the Anointing Corps, experts were still unclear about how contagious COVID-19 was, and what conditions aided its spread. The level of training the men received, however, gave Father Andrew Jaspers, a corps member and chaplain at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, “100% confidence” from
TEXT SUPPORT When the Anointing Corps was created, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis added an option for people to receive text notifications so they could pray when a priest was dispatched for a COVID-19-related anointing. The alerts ask people to pray one Our Father for the person in danger of death, one Hail Mary for the person’s family and friends, and one Glory Be for protection for the priest anointing and the person’s medical team. The texts also invoke St. Roch, a 14th century French-Italian pilgrim traditionally asked to intercede in times of plague. About 2,240 people have signed up. “It’s really beautiful,” said Father Paul Hedman, a corps member. “It really shows the unity of the Church, that we’re all praying for each other, that we’re all in this together.” To sign up to receive the texts, text “archspm-anointing” to 55321.
the start that they could administer the sacrament safely. “We were under the impression that we were at serious risk of our health — and possibly life — if we’re going into contact with people who were infected,” Father Jaspers said. “Now, it’s become quite routine. I’ll see two or three people a day. … It’s not something that is scary anymore.” Father Jaspers, 42, was appointed HCMC chaplain in March, and because PLEASE TURN TO CORPS ON PAGE 5